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Damiana
Deer Velvet
Ginseng, Korean
Grass Pollen Extract
Human Growth Hormone
Horny Goat Weed
Muira Puama
Nopal
Prickly Pear Cactus
Maca
Pycnogenol
Saw Palmetto
Tribulus terrestris
Viagra
Yohimbe

Nopal; Opuntia spp; Prickly Pear Cactus

Proposed Uses: Diabetes; Hangover from Use of Alcohol; High Cholesterol; Prostate Enlargement

The nopal has a long history of use as food and medicine. Its fleshy, leaf-like stems (cladodes), especially when young, are eaten as vegetables. The fruit is eaten raw, fermented into a beer, or turned into a cheese-like food. Medicinally, nopal fruit, stems, and flowers have been used to treat diabetes, stomach problems, fatigue, shortness of breath, easy bruising, prostate enlargement, and liver disease. Nopal is also a significant source of protein, vitamins, and minerals.

Although trials are somewhat contradictory, taken together they suggest that nopal fruit and stems might have some benefit for diabetes.

The only properly designed study of nopal involved use of the cactus for treating hangover symptoms.

The greatest improvements were seen in symptoms of nausea, loss of appetite, and dry mouth. Overall, the rate of severe hangover symptoms was 50% lower in the treatment group as compared to the placebo group.

There is weak evidence that nopal fruit and stems might be helpful for reducing cholesterol levels. Other studies suggest that nopal stems and fruit might have anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving, and stomach-protective effects. Finally, test tube studies suggest that the flower of the nopal cactus might be helpful for prostate enlargement (BPH).

Dosage
Neither the optimum dosage nor the most active species of nopal cactus has been established. The one double-blind study noted above used a special extract made from the skin of the fruit of Opuntia ficus indica.

Safety Issues
As a widely eaten food, nopal is presumed safe. However, safety in young children, pregnant or nursing women, or individuals with severe liver or kidney disease has not been established.

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